


departure: star city, USA <to> moscow, russia

by AlexiaBlackbriar13



Series: lexi’s season 8 fics [7]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: 8x05 Related, Anxiety, Episode: s08 e05 Prochnost, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Father-Daughter Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Napping, Panic Attacks, Plane Flights, private jets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:54:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21538561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexiaBlackbriar13/pseuds/AlexiaBlackbriar13
Summary: 8x05 filler. The Smoak-Queens (3/4 of them) fly together to Russia, but it's Mia's first ever flight and she's anxious. Oliver comforts her and has a deep conversation with William. Planes are the best places for long naps, (panic attacks), and emotional talks, after all.
Relationships: Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak
Series: lexi’s season 8 fics [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1538746
Comments: 18
Kudos: 170





	departure: star city, USA  moscow, russia

**Author's Note:**

> 8x05 was an incredible episode and also might be my favourite ep of the season so far because i have SOOOO many fic ideas about it!!!!!
> 
> hope you enjoy xx

Oliver is relieved to find Mia and William packed and ready in the apartment living room to leave when he emerges from his bedroom in the early hours of the morning, duffel bag with a couple of changes of clothes in hand.

The two of them are dressed in reasonably warm clothes and have filled their own bags to the brim with things they went out and bought yesterday afternoon in preparation for their trip to Russia. They’re munching on toast and sipping coffees, but turn to greet their father as he quickly makes himself a protein shake to take with him to the private airport.

He won’t admit it, but he’s worried about having the kids accompany him to Moscow. Returning to the city where he became the darkest version of himself, a ruthless Bratva captain willing to kill anybody and do anything to achieve what he and Anatoly wanted is not something he ever imagined doing with his children by his side.

Oliver refuses to expose Mia and William to the Bratva, and doesn’t care if that makes him overprotective. He just hates the idea of leaving the two of them behind in Star City and feels like keeping them close to him is the best way to ensure they stay safe, even if that means bringing them along on the mission to Russia with him and Laurel.

They catch an Uber to the airfield, and although their driver does recognize Oliver, eyeing him warily, he thankfully doesn’t ask questions. Mia and William chat lightly to each other in the back while Oliver sits in the passenger seat; he eavesdrops in on their conversation to find, to his amusement, that William is teasing Mia about the fact that she forgot to buy a winter parka yesterday. Mia bites back that he looked stupid in his so she decided not to get one. The kids won’t be exposed to the cold for too long, as they’ll spend most of the time inside, so Oliver isn’t worried about them getting hypothermia like he nearly did during his long nights spent outside in the freezing Moscow winter.

When they get to the airfield, a small private jet is waiting for them. Laurel is already there, having a discussion with the pilot, who has flown Oliver and Felicity privately before. William jumps instinctively back into his polite, assertive CEO persona and strides ahead to greet the pilot, shaking his hand, leaving Oliver behind with Mia to carry their bags from the trunk.

It’s as Oliver is helping his daughter with William’s bag, taking it from her to lift onto his shoulder, that he sees to his worry that she’s pale and her eyes are gleaming with anxiety. She keeps casting nervous glances over at the plate, but when Oliver catches her doing it, she blushes and lowers her head almost sheepishly.

“Are you okay?” he asks her.

“Yeah, just loaded up on a lot of caffeine given that it’s a long flight,” she shrugs. “Making me a little jumpy.”

Oliver recalls some of the off-hand comments that both his son and daughter have made within the last week, about Mia’s sheltered childhood in Bloomfield and how she eventually ended up in Star City on her own. It broke his heart to hear how isolated she was as a child, and how scared Felicity must have been of their daughter being hurt, but now he’s realizing that Mia only having known Bloomfield and Star City in her entire life also means that she’s never flown before. “Mia, is this your first time on a plane?”

She stares at him like a fawn in the headlights. Her mouth opens ever so lightly in a small ‘o’ that reminds Oliver of when Felicity used to be surprised, and Mia’s blonde hair, which she’s pulled up into a bun for the flight, just emphasizes how similar she is in appearance to her mother. Her defensive bristling at his question stops and her shoulders slump when Oliver hits her with a knowing glance. “Is it that obvious?” she sighs.

“Planes are statistically the safest way to travel,” is his response, trying to reassure her. 

“And yet the idea of being forty thousand feet up in the air in a confined metal box is still not one that appeals to me,” Mia replies dryly.

She stalks off to go and join her brother, hands in her pockets. Oliver’s noticed that she does that a lot when she’s feeling particularly vulnerable; while he has his nervous archer’s tick, Mia tries to hide her hands by crossing her arms or stuffing them in whatever pockets she has free. There’s not much more Oliver can really think to say her to anyway, as he suspects trying to reassure her further will just rile her up.

He and Felicity were like that back before they were completely in sync. When Felicity was anxious about something, she would just become even more anxious if Oliver attempted to console her. That faded with time though, so that Felicity became receptive to his comfort and even sought it out. Hopefully that will happen between him and Mia, as he and his daughter start to get to know each other better.

“Dad, you coming?” William calls, from the stairs up to the plane’s door.

“Yeah, one sec, buddy,” he shouts back, wincing at the fact that he slipped and used his old nickname for his son. William doesn’t seem to mind though, actually grinning at the word, but then scowls half-heartedly at his sister when she repeats it teasingly at him.

Oliver greets the pilot himself and confirms their flight course before following his kids into the cabin. It’s not particularly spacious, but it’s roomy enough for the four of them - and Laurel has already retreated into the back right corner, looking as if she would rather be anywhere else than on a private plane on the way to Russia with three-quarters of the Smoak-Queen family.

Mia and William have set up on the couches near the front of the plane with the coffee table, having dropped their bags in the storage locker in the wall. William is already pouring glasses of the complimentary whiskey for the three of them and although the archer is about to protest since it is literally only six in the morning, the look Mia casts him as she throws back her head and drains her first glass prompts him to take it when offered. It’s not much, only a thumb’s worth, so it won’t dampen his senses or anything.

“Are you even legal yet?” he asks Mia, when she inches her glass back towards William, silently asking for a second one. “That’s enough for you.”

“Actually, I turned twenty-one last month,” Mia smirks.

“Okay, but you need your head clear.” Oliver leans over and nicks her glass before her brother can refill it. “Trust me, you’ll thank me later.”

“It’s a fourteen-hour flight, Dad, it’s not like I would turn up to Russia drunk,” she rolls her eyes.

“But do you want to turn up to Russia with a hangover? I don’t think so,” he rebuts. “No more whiskey.”

“Buzzkill,” Mia grumbles.

She collapses down onto the couch, playing with the tassels of her sweater and glaring. Oliver knows and understands why she wants to drink. She’s nervous about the flight and is hoping the alcohol will help her loosen up, but if Mia is anything like Felicity, then the whiskey is just going to make her antsy before she reaches the tipsy stage. William puts the bottle away so Mia isn’t being taunted by it and gets the sparkling water out instead.

Once their seatbelts are done up and they’ve had the short safety briefing, they begin moving out onto the runway, ready for take-off. Oliver keeps a careful eye on Mia from across the aisle, worried that she might have a panic attack because of the way her leg is jigging up and down and she keeps glancing out the window, her knuckles white as she grips her armrests.

There are a few beads of cold sweat on her forehead from her fear. He hates seeing how scared she is, especially as she’s trying to conceal it. Oliver wants nothing more than to scoop her up into a hug and tell her everything is going to be alright, that they’re safe and he’ll be here with her for the entire flight. But Mia will probably reject him and complain that he’s babying her, pretending to be fine when she’s really not.

Luckily, it seems that he’s not the only one who’s noticed how terrified Mia is, because William, who is sitting next to his sister, casually slides his hand over to cover and squeeze hers. She whips around to bark at him instinctively, but when she sees that William isn’t looking at her and instead focusing on his cell phone, she appears to relax, the tension draining from her shoulders. Mia takes a couple of deep, slow breaths to calm herself. She visually swallows as she peers down at her and William’s hands, but then her gaze flashes up to check on him; Oliver swiftly has to look away, and fortunately his daughter doesn’t see him staring.

William continues to hold Mia’s hand through take-off up until the point the plane levels out and the seatbelt signs are switched off. As soon as the bell dings, making Mia jump in her seat, her brother casually reclaims his hand so he can pull out one of Felicity’s old tablets he’s claimed. Oliver fakes being focused on finding his last page in his book he’s brought along, the last _Lord of the Rings_ that he started back in May when he and Felicity moved to the cabin, as Mia shakily stands from her seat and heads to the on-plane bathroom, muttering something incoherent under her breath.

It’s only once Oliver is certain that she’s out of hearing range that he turns to William, who is placing his tablet down and turning his attention to his father, obviously anticipating this conversation.

“I didn’t know she has a fear of flying or planes, if that’s what you’re going to ask,” William says hushedly. “I’ve _never_ seen her like this before. I didn’t think that I ever would.”

“We’ll keep an eye on her,” Oliver determines. “I have some benzos in my bag just in case.”

When Mia returns, looking suitably refreshed and a little less like she’s about to explode from anxiety, she settles down into her chair and reaching into her own bag to pull out a book that the archer recognizes, as it came from Felicity’s personal bookshelf. It’s an old non-fiction book called _Into the Wild_ by Jon Krakauer, that Oliver bought her from a charity shop back during their summer world road-trip, while he was recounting his five years away for her.

He vaguely remembers that the book is about a man who survived for 113 days in the Alaskan wilderness before eventually dying in a struggle against starvation; he also remembers Felicity telling him that it was a rather morbid but intriguing read. Mia sticks headphones in before curling up to read, thumbing through the first couple of pages.

Oliver concentrates on his own book, as William loads a movie from his tablet up onto one of the widescreen TVs mounted in the cabin wall. It’s _The Princess Bride_ … the movie that he and Felicity used to love to watch together.

The first couple of hours pass without a hitch. Oliver occasionally checks on his kids, but William seems entertained by his movie and Mia’s caught up in reading. He notices that she’s a fast, avid reader like her mom, and that she’s already nearly halfway through the book. Stretching out, Mia marks her page and tucks it away so she can stand and walk about the cabin to get blood pumping through her muscles.

It’s as she’s pouring herself a fresh glass of water that a bout of turbulence hits the plane. It’s not enough to knock things over, but it does jostle them around. Mia releases a small yelp of surprise when she stumbles on her feet, grasping frantically at the nearest chair and looking as if her heart just burst out of her chest.

The seatbelt sign switches back on. Oliver and William immediately click theirs back into place but Mia… Mia doesn’t move. She appears to be frozen in fear, breathing quickly and shallowly in clear hyperventilation, her body so tense that she looks like she’s been hooked up to a live wire. She’s staring at the floor as if she expects it to fall from beneath her feet.

His daughter’s panicked expression causes Oliver’s heart to twinge painfully as he itches to cross the cabin and offer Mia help. He knows from experience that fears are difficult to get over; it took a lot of love and support and patience for him to get over his.

“Mia, you need to sit down and do your seatbelt up,” Oliver calls over to her loudly, hoping that his voice will snap her out of her trance-like state.

Mia barely reacts beyond twitching, her head slightly turning his way. He’s not going to get through to her this way, and the nervous look William shoots at him tells Oliver that Mia’s brother thinks the same. Hastily un-doing his seatbelt, the archer hurries over to his daughter’s side and carefully guides her into the nearest chair, sitting beside her and then doing both of their seatbelts up. He then takes a gentle hold of Mia’s wrist to feel her pulse - it’s racing, but steady.

The sensation of her father’s cold hand against her skin startles Mia from her agitated frame of mind and she quickly pulls her arms into her personal space, blinking down at her trembling hands and clenching them into fists frustratedly when she sees that they’re shaking.

“Just some turbulence,” Oliver informs her quietly, making his voice low and soothing. “Perfectly normal on a flight, Mia.”

“Yeah, and I suppose that’s what people think right before the plane falls out of the sky,” she whispers.

He sighs. She’s not going to get over her fear anytime soon, but maybe Oliver can help her feel it less? Motioning at William to slide his bag over, Oliver picks it up with his foot so he can lift it into his lap and root around until he finds the blister-pack of Xanax tablets he keeps with him in case of a panic attack.

“Here.” He presses one of the pills into Mia’s hand. “It’ll make you drowsy but it’ll help.”

She tries to pass it back, muttering, “I don’t like taking drugs.”

“Neither do I,” Oliver admits. “But you’ve got to learn when to admit defeat and take medications you need, when your body requires them.”

“On top of the whiskey?”

“You didn’t drink much. You’ll be fine.”

A couple of awkward seconds pass and then Mia leans back over to take the small pill, dry-swallowing it. Oliver tries not to smile to show how glad he is that she decided to listen to his advice and take the benzo, because it does in his opinion feel like another step closer to his daughter. She lies back in her seat and murmurs, “Thanks,” before closing her eyes, exhaling slowly as she attempts to relax herself.

Not wanting to disturb her, Oliver slinks back to his seat from before, opposite William, who is looking at him with an impressed and pleased expression. “You handled that well,” his son says, his voice low in volume so that Mia doesn’t overhear. “Even Mom couldn’t convince her to take painkillers last year after she got beaten up by a Zeta on the streets with Zoe.” When Oliver casts him a confused look, William waves his hand dismissively. “Long story. I’m just shocked you managed to convince her. Will she sleep for a while now?”

“The Xanax will make her drowsy, but not completely knock her out. If she’s already tired, then there’s a high chance of her falling asleep.”

“Man, I can never sleep on flights,” William complains. “Can I get one of those pills?”

“I think you’re going to be fine,” Oliver laughs.

William chuckles along with him before his expression morphs into an earnest one. “I’m serious though, you’re doing great with her. She won’t admit it aloud but she’s super excited to be training with you and spending time with you. And that you’re being so patient with her and attentive to her needs is… it’s amazing. I had a feeling you would be because back when I first moved in with you, you were always calm and willing to give me the space I needed while also being supportive. Seeing Mia like she has been over the last week is refreshing. I think she’s been hurting for a long while now and hiding it; things have been rough for her, especially after Mom left the city in our hands back in May and vanished, because Mom was her anchor just as much as she’s yours.”

“But Mia has you now,” Oliver points out. “She relies on you. As her brother, and as tech support out in the field.”

“I mean, yeah, and we both have Connor as well, and we _did_ have Zoe,” William replies, looking sullen as he brings up their fallen teammate. “But the working as Future Team Arrow thing is new to us. Mia’s never had so much responsibility on her shoulders before, being directly responsible for people’s lives, and she’s never led a team. None of us have experience of being part of one, except from last year when we formed the team to rescue Mom.” He sighs. “We might be adults, Dad, and we might _insist_ on knowing what we’re doing, but we still need guidance. We still need _you_. As a mentor and as our father.”

The lump that’s formed in the archer’s throat is impossible to swallow. “I would say that you’ll always have me, but I know that’s not true,” he says raspily. “Because I’m not there for you in the future. But I’m here for you now, for whatever you and your sister need or want.”

“Thanks, Dad,” William smiles.

Mia does fall asleep as Oliver predicted, curled up in her chair with her knees to her chest and forehead resting against the cabin wall. Oliver is relieved to see her face is peaceful and calm as she rests. She does, however, appear to be shivering ever so slightly, which isn’t a shock to the archer considering that the air recirculating around the cabin is dry and cold.

A rare happy memory from a bittersweet time five years ago springs to the forefront of Oliver’s mind, of when he was on his way to Nanda Parbat to exchange his life in service of Ra’s for Thea to be healed in the Lazarus Pit. He had been cold during that flight, pensive and morose as he pondered on the near loss of his freedom, and yet a light pierced through his darkness in the form of Felicity. She thoughtfully brought him a blanket and cheered him up, while giving him the chance to open up to her and tell her about one of the most horrible things he did during his time away, when he murdered Thea’s drug dealer at a party while back in Starling City.

His eyes fill with tears. That year was awful for him, but Felicity… Felicity saved him. Their night together in Nanda Parbat and the knowledge that she loved him and would always believe in him was the only reason he survived the brutal brainwashing.

It’s hard to believe that five years ago, he and Felicity were dancing around each other in a classic ‘will they, won’t they’, and Oliver didn’t believe it was possible for him to be happy and have a family with the woman he loved, despite the fact that was his fondest wish. Now… Felicity is currently raising their baby girl in a cabin back in the States, and he’s on a private plane heading to Russia with his adult son and daughter from the future at his side, beautiful and brave and strong. So similar to him and Felicity in ways that Oliver still can’t even comprehend. The kids have been in 2019 for a week and he’s still trying to wrap his head around it.

His heart in his throat, Oliver snags a grey fleece blanket from one of the cabin cupboards and tiptoes over to Mia. He tenderly smooths back some of the stray strands of blonde hair that have come loose from her bun, tucking them behind her air, and then shakes out the blanket so he can drape it over her. Instantly, his daughter frowns but reaches out subconsciously in her sleep to tug the blanket tighter around her, sighing happily at the warmth it provides.

“There you go, sweetheart,” he whispers, his voice thick with emotion.

Oliver ensures that the blanket is secure around her before stepping back, scrubbing his hands over his face exhaustedly. He’s always worn out by flights, and they’re not even halfway through this one yet. Mia’s got the right idea by taking a nap. Once they get to Russia, he doubts they’ll find much time to sleep, so he reckons that now might be the best time to rest for the next couple of days.

“So I’m ‘buddy’ and she’s ‘sweetheart’?” William questions amusedly, when Oliver grabs a blanket for himself and offers one to his son.

“Technically, she’s ‘Mia-Bia’, because that’s what Felicity and I called her as a baby, but I don’t think she would appreciate that nickname. ‘Miss Mia’, ‘baby girl’ and ‘little star’ don’t really suit her anymore either.”

“You called her ‘little star’ as a baby?” William asks, his eyes widening.

He nods. “Felicity and I got into stargazing while we were at the cabin during her last few months of pregnancy. When Mia was born, we took her out onto the porch every night to point out the constellations to her. It’s one of the only things that calms her down. Why?”

William wraps his blanket around him, propping his tablet on top. “Mia’s codename back in 2040 is Blackstar.”

Oliver snorts, because that _can’t_ be just a coincidence.

“She has multiple tattoos as well that all incorporate the solar system and space,” William adds thoughtfully, causing Oliver to startle because his daughter has tattoos? He’s not angry she’s got them - he has his fair share of tattoos after all, some of them by choice and some not - but he is curious about seeing them, as he hasn’t had a chance too yet. It explains why Mia always wears long sleeves around him, though. “There’s her key tattoo with the star in the middle of it, and her honeybee with orbiting planets and moons. Those are the only ones I’ve seen but I’d bet she has more.”

“Do you have tattoos?”

“Me? Oh god no. Not that I think tattoos are bad - I’d get one, but I’m terrified of needles.”

“Another thing you and Felicity have in common. There’s a lot about you and your sister that I don’t know,” Oliver realizes sadly.

“Yet,” William emphasizes. “Mia and I aren’t leaving anytime soon, Dad, if we have any say in it.”

“You might not. Mar Novu brought you here from 2040, he could send you back without warning.” And that thought has haunted Oliver since the first day Mia and William arrived in 2019.

“Exactly, Mar Novu brought us,” William agrees. “Which means that he has a reason for it. And considering you said there’s a crisis approaching, and he’s involved in it, I think Mia, Connor and I are meant to help you fight in it. We don’t know when it’s happening… but it means we have time.”

Oliver can’t bring himself to find the holes in his son’s logic, and reckons they would be difficult to sniff out anyway considering William is a literal genius. He decides to rest his eyes for twenty minutes or so in a light nap, but ends up actually having a proper sleep for a couple of hours. Oliver is jolted awake by Laurel kicking his foot, snarking that his cell phone’s been buzzing for the last ten minutes and she’s going to smash it to pieces if he doesn’t answer his messages. It’s John with an update about his mission to collect nuclear material, informing him that he’s managed to track down his partner for the operation - Roy. Oliver texts back asking him to keep him informed.

“Dad?”

Glancing up from the screen, Oliver’s eyes flit up to Mia, who is stirring and groggily peering around the cabin, taking in her brother, who is now sleeping as well, and Laurel across the other side of the plane, who’s examining her nails in a bored manner. His daughter sits up, the blanket falling off her shoulders onto her legs; rubbing at her grit-filled eyes, Oliver grins to himself as he remembers that three-month-old Mia does the same thing when she wakes, looking adorably displeased at being woken up.

“Hey,” he greets her. Careful not to disturb William from his slumber, he moves over to a seat one down from Mia. “How was your sleep?”

“How long was I out?” she asks, instead of answering.

Oliver checks the time. “Four hours. A solid nap.”

Mia quirks an eyebrow, surprised. “Usually I don’t even sleep four hours uninterrupted at night,” she muses. “The magic of Xanax, I guess. William looks cozy.” She smirks at her brother.

Oliver wants to respond that she looked equally as cute all curled up with her blanket asleep earlier, but Mia’s a tough girl and she might get pissed if he jokes with her about that. They’ve started teasing each other recently during training sessions but it’s tentative, and he’s still concerned about pushing her boundaries.

“You could probably steal his tablet and watch some movies on it while he’s asleep, if you want,” he says. “Felicity downloaded a load of horror movies onto it last year - she became obsessed with them while she was pregnant with you.”

“Jordan Peele movies?” Mia perks up.

Ah, so Mia has her mother’s taste in popular culture. That makes sense, considering she was raised solely by Felicity. “I know for sure that _Us_ and _Get Out_ are on there.”

Mia jumps from her seat eagerly and with precise, slow movements, eases the tablet from William’s grip and into her arms. “This is mine now.”

“I think your brother would object to that,” Oliver laughs.

“If he wants it back, he can fight me for it,” Mia’s lip twitch into a smile. But she hovers near William for a moment to adjust his blanket so it covers his exposed arm, shooting him a fond look. It warms Oliver’s heart to see that Mia clearly adores William even though the two of them didn’t get the chance to grow up together.

“Mia.” She looks up at him curiously. “So is your first flight as terrible as you thought it might be? You are, admittedly, being spoiled since you’re on a private jet rather than a commercial plane, but my first flight was private as well and I was scared out of my mind.”

“Flying is… not that bad,” Mia allows. “It’s not the _worst_ way to travel. We haven’t crashed and died, so that’s a plus. I’ll suspend my judgment until the flight home.”

Leaving his daughter to watch her horror movies, Oliver returns to reading his book. This may be Mia’s first flight, and she might be afraid of planes, but she’s calm and seemingly happy. As her father, that’s all Oliver can possibly want for her. William is asleep for now, and when he wakes up fully rested, he should be able to help the archer track down somebody who he’s heard is back in Russia, who’ll be able to aid them in their mission. They’re all safe and content for now.

The rest of the flight will be a breeze.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! hope you enjoyed. i would really appreciate it if you left kudos and commented
> 
> twitter @lexiblackbriar  
> tumblr @alexiablackbriar13


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